Chapter 2: Kang Seulgi

    The two of them stopped walking when they reached the front door of the cafeteria. Jungkook opened the door for her, the gentleman he always tries to be. 

    “Wah, the cafeteria’s packed tonight,” Seulgi nervously commented. Almost all the tables were already occupied; it would be an awful chore to look for her friends.

    Jungkook spotted his friends almost immediately; it was hard to look past Jimin’s bright orange hair. 

    “Where’s your table, Seulgi-yah?” Not even bothering to hide his concern for her, he also looked for Seulgi’s friends.

    People were beginning to stare at them, and it took all of Seulgi’s willpower to look calm and composed. Being with Jungkook is like a double edged sword, she always thought; Seulgi felt the most comfortable around him, but it’s also with him that she feels the most uncomfortable because of all the attention the two of them get together. 

    “Found them,” Seulgi sighed in relief. In that moment, she was thankful Wendy and Yeri decided to dye their hairs with light colors , making them stand out among a sea of brunettes. “Take care, alright, Jungkookie?” She squeezed his shoulder.

    He gave her a small smile. “You too, Seulgi-yah. I’ll see you later, okay?”

    She waved at him before turning to walk towards her table. It was pretty far from where she stood; Seulgi silently cursed at Irene for picking such a troublesome table.

    “Guys, look, it’s that girl.” Someone muttered as she walked pass them. Seulgi breathed deeply, fiddling with the numerous rings on her fingers. This was standard for her and she had to get used to it. She made it a point to only look at where she was going, completely ignoring her peripheral vision. Honestly, it was always suffocating to be in the cafeteria for Seulgi, so much so that she felt her head was starting to hurt again.

    Thankfully, Seulgi soon reached her table. Irene, Joy, Wendy, and Yeri were already there, and of course, the two youngest girls were already animatedly discussing something. Irene saw her first, so she immediately scooted to make space for her. 

    “What’s up with you and our little Kookie, huh?” Irene teased as Seulgi sat down. Outside of their dangerous ability class, Irene always looks so friendly and approachable, almost emitting a motherly vibe. Seulgi never missed a day when she didn’t point that out, but Irene just doesn’t want to admit it.

    “Unnie! I missed you today!” Yeri, who was at her other side, hugged her fiercely. Seulgi awkwardly patted her junior’s head. Yeri was the Jungkook of her small circle of friends, and sometimes, Seulgi thought that she was exactly the female version of him. She had that rare skill of attracting people wherever she went, and also the fact that Yeri clung on to her, regardless of her Alice.

    Seulgi gave Irene a look while she played with Yeri’s cheeks. “Unnie, no…”

    Wendy chimed in. “Hear me out, Seulgi. I think you and Jungkook would totally—“

    “Seulgi unnie, everyone’s going to be so jealous of you! Jungkook’s the most popular guy in our year!” Joy interrupted Wendy, earning a hearty slap on her arm.

    Seulgi rolled her eyes. “Yah, Jungkook and I are just friends.” On the inside, however, Seulgi was surprised to hear Jungkook’s immense popularity, even within her little group of friends. With such a dangerous Alice, people tend to ostracise that person, no matter how attractive he or she may be—but she supposed Jungkook will always be the exception to everything.

    Irene pushed her uneaten sandwich towards her. She knew Seulgi didn’t like the extravagant food served to Special Stars1 like her in the cafeteria. It attracted too much attention, and it was too much food, anyway. So, she and Irene agreed to just eat one of the other when they’re together.

    Seulgi sniffed at the sandwich, trying to guess what’s inside before tasting it. “It sure didn’t look that way when the two of you entered the cafeteria together,” Irene commented.

    Seulgi gave her an exasperated look. “I’m just looking out for him, is that bad? And he’s my team’s maknae, I treat him exactly the way I treat Yeri.”

    “Why does my heart flutter whenever I see you and Jungkook together, then? Explain that!” Wendy exclaimed. Always a hopeless romantic, Wendy had always pushed Jungkook and Seulgi to be a couple. Seulgi always ignores her claims.

    Yeri clung on to Seulgi’s right arm, sounding unusually calm. “It’s not that it’s bad, unnie, it’s just that everyone else will think that you two are dating. Which, you know, isn’t a bad idea, either.”

    Using her free arm, Seulgi took the sandwich and bit into it. It was a Tuscan Tuna and Bean sandwich, a surprisingly pleasant combination. Not that Seulgi was going to flaunt her obnoxious knowledge on sandwiches out loud. “Let them think what they want. They already do, anyway.” She mumbled.

    “Unnie…” Yeri squeezed her arm. The mood of the table started to darken; Seulgi felt guilty for ruining the atmosphere, so she just ate her sandwich in silence.

    Joy cleared . “Now, on to less depressing topics…” Wendy gave her a look, which she pointedly ignored. 

    “The masquerade ball is in two weeks!” There was always something to appreciate in her small circle of friends; one of which, was Joy’s never-ending enthusiasm towards probably everything.

    Yeri squealed in delight. “My first masquerade ball!” She sighed. “I want to have a handsome partner!”

    Irene chuckled. “I’m sure lots of guys will want to go with you, Yeri.” Seulgi squeezed Yeri’s cheek again in affirmation.

    Wendy threw a piece of bread towards Irene. “Yah, aren’t you going with Seokjin oppa?”

    Irene rolled her eyes. She hated how Wendy always brought up the topic of her ex. “I’m not going with anyone because I’m the committee head, remember?”

    “You should totally go with Hoseok oppa, though, unnie.” Joy commented as she sipped on her drink.

    Seulgi’s eyes widened. “You two are together?” Irene has always been into pretty boys, like Seokjin or Chanyeol, who were both her exes, so it was a bit of a surprise for Seulgi to hear that Irene may be interested in Hoseok.

    Irene closed her eyes. “No, we’re not, so cut it out already, Joy.” Seulgi thought it a bit peculiar for Irene to get irritated easily over something like this, considering her easygoing personality. Seulgi gave Irene a look which she pointedly ignored.

    “What about you, Seulgi? You have to go with our little Kookie!” Wendy teased as Joy cheered on. 

    “Well, if you’re not going to go with him, can you ask him to go with me instead, unnie?” Joy showed her trademark aegyo, complete with her twinkling eyes. Seulgi and Wendy both laughed in response. 

    Yeri chimed in. “Actually, unnie, Jungkook oppa—“

    Irene enthusiastically cut in. “—This year will be way better than last year, I promise you.” She and Seulgi shared a meaningful look. Last year’s masquerade ball was a dark memory for Seulgi and it wasn’t something she wants to remember. Her heart still ached to think about the things that happened during that night.

    She sighed. “Look, if he wants to go with me, then I don’t mind going with him. Just know that Jungkook’s really popular, so I doubt he’d want to go with me. Maybe he really will go with you, Joy.” 

    Yeri clapped her hands resolutely. “He’s definitely going to ask you, unnie. I guarantee it.”

    “As friends.” Seulgi reminded them. A collective sigh arose from their table. 

    “Our poor little Kookie, rejected before even making a move.” Wendy held a hand over her heart and did an exaggerated sigh. 

    “Yah! Who are you talk like that? Have you forgotten about Taehyung already?” Irene scolded her.

    Wendy’s face started to redden. “What about him, unnie…” Everyone in the table laughed at her reaction. Even Seulgi’s dark mood started to vanish a bit. 

    Joy pointed at her. “We all know he’s been telling everyone how much he likes you so just go out with him already! Geez, unnie!” Another chorus of laughs emanated from their table.

    Right then, Seulgi felt a soft hum coming from inside her head. Guys. 

    Meeting in five minutes. 

    Don’t be late or I’ll mess with your heads. 

    I’m talking to you, Jungkook.

    Seulgi sighed. Namjoon was using his extreme telepathy Alice again as a way to gather his team. Perhaps she was old fashioned, but couldn’t he have just set a time beforehand? She didn’t like the idea that someone can easily enter her head and mess with it, even if it was her leader.

    She started eating her sandwich quickly. “Anyway,” Wendy cut off Joy’s impending speech about a random topic again. “We need to buy dresses for the masquerade ball, at the very least!”

    “Unnie, we don’t have to buy, though?” Yeri looked at her questioningly. Since Wendy only transferred to the academy a little over two years ago, she still didn’t know about some of their procedures. 

    “The